Stay in Seagrove Beach. Less congested and it's right by Seaside. It's about 15 minutes east of Destin.
We stayed here last Fall (middle of October) and it was a nice condo.
http://www.vrbo.com/325378
We had a great week here. The condo was fully stocked (if you eat lots of pizzas like we did, I would recommend bringing a pizza cutter--only thing missing) and the beds were comfortable. Steps from the beach....which is the BEST part of this condo. Beautiful views of the blue waters and no high sand dunes in front of the condo. Leanne was very easy to work with and friendly. If you are visiting Seagrove, we would highly recommend this condo.